The Best Gift Ever
by AquaTurquoise
Summary: It's Cedric's turn to get Sofia a birthday gift, since she did the same for him. (As suggested by a reader - Coin of Light and Darkness) [This story had the most votes in my poll on my page; the next story, "Quality Time," is in progress. :) Hope you all enjoy this story!]


The Best Gift Ever

Summary: It's Cedric's turn to get Sofia a birthday gift, since she did the same for him. (As suggested by a reader - Coin of Light and Darkness)

Disclaimer: I do not own "Sofia the First" or any characters mentioned in this story. I'd like to thank "Coin of Light and Darkness" for this request on my reviews for "Super." I hope I do this idea justice! :)

Original Request:

Coin of Light and Darkness chapter 1 . Jul 13

I just got a cavity from the sweetness of this fic. I loved this. _Please write another one. Like Sofia's birthday and Cedric doing something for her._

"Cedric," Baileywick began as he opened the door to the sorcerer's workshop, "have you by any chance seen…?" He smiled knowingly when he spotted the youngest royal sitting innocently in her chair and eating what appeared to be a Fly Cake. "Ah, there you are, Princess Sofia…"

She smiled happily as Cedric ignored the steward and went about his business, muttering some formulas under his breath. "Hi, Baileywick!" she greeted cheerfully. "Did you need me?"

"Well, I was going to inquire as to your preferences for your birthday party tomorrow night, but I pretty well know by now that if you're in here with Cedric, I'm probably interrupting something crucial."

"If by 'crucial' you mean 'consuming a sugary confection as an after school snack,' then yes…I suppose it was crucial for her," Cedric replied somewhat sarcastically as he finally looked toward the other man. "Goodness knows all that Royal Prep food didn't come close to these wonderful Fly Cakes." He chuckled to himself.

Baileywick blinked. "If you say so, Cedric… But may I borrow Sofia for a minute?"

"A minute? Take her for a few hours—it's not like we've got anything important to cover today." He looked back at the young girl. "You passed your transformation test yesterday, correct?"

She grinned. "With flying colors!"

"There, see? Princess Sofia knows what she's doing, so she hardly needs my help anymore. I think she just uses 'quality time' with me to get 'cupcake time' these days." He half smiled when she gasped in protest.

"No, I don't, Mr. Cedric! I genuinely enjoy spending time with you and learning lots of new things." She smiled and nodded toward Baileywick. "I'll come with you for a while, Baileywick. I'll be back, Mr. Cedric. I wanted to talk to you about something anyway."

"Take your time," the sorcerer replied in a singsong voice as the other two left. He shut his door behind them and looked toward Wormwood. "Finally. I thought she'd never leave…" He pulled out a box from under his table and opened it, glancing inside. "How am I ever supposed to finish her birthday gift if she's constantly lurking around, Wormy?"

Wormwood cawed in confusion, tilting his head before flying down from his perch and looking in the box. He made a sound of discontent and glanced up at his owner. "You're giving her this?" he asked, knowing Cedric very well couldn't understand him. "You really _are_ going soft… Granted, it is the princess's birthday, but still…shouldn't we be more focused on stealing her amulet? Whatever happened to that _grand scheme_, Cedric?"

Cedric looked at his companion, who was squawking at him more than usual and gesturing with his wings. "You know, at some point, I'm going to get my 'animal-to-English' spell correct, and then I'll finally be able to figure out what you're saying."

"I won't hold my breath," the raven retorted with a smirk before yawning and glancing away.

The sorcerer pulled his unfinished gift to Sofia from the box and sighed. It looked pretty good, considering what he was trying to accomplish, but it could still be much better. There was, of course, one person who could help him finish this easily…but he was a little hesitant. He glanced at the portrait of his parents and walked over to it, realizing he was probably going to need at least a little bit of help after all.

"Um, Mother?" he asked, wondering if his mom was listening at that moment. "I, uh, I could use your help for just a little while… Please?" He smiled sweetly, hoping that would get her attention.

Not hearing or seeing anything in response, Cedric sighed and turned back around putting the gift back into the box and leaning on the table, his head resting in his hands. He blinked when he felt a light tap on his arm and turned. He smiled happily. "Mummy!"

Winifred the Wise smiled gently, reaching up and hugging her son. "Of course I'll help you, Ceddy-kins!" she gushed, releasing him and then taking his hands. "You just tell Mummy what you need."

"Well, ah…you remember Princess Sofia, right?"

"Of course. She's the sweetest young lady, and I'm glad to see you've made a friend with her, Cedric. Goodness knows you need _someone_ to talk to." She nodded toward Wormwood when he cawed in response. "Of course, Wormwood is a nice companion…but every now and then, we all need contact with people from the outside. That's how I met dear Gertrude last year." She chuckled. "She taught me how to win at chess, if you can believe that!"

"Yes, that's great, Mother, but…I'm kind of facing a dilemma right now—well, two. One is time, and two is…this." He pulled out Sofia's gift and handed it to his mother, watching as she observed it.

She smiled. "This is quite good, Ceddy-kins!" She eyed him curiously. "Was this wand-made or handmade?"

"Ah, um…a little bit of both… What my fingers refused to do, my wand finished."

"What is it for?"

"Sofia's birthday is tomorrow, and she gave me quite a nice gift on my birthday a while ago…so I wanted to return the favor." He sighed. "I know that makes me sound a little soft, but—"

"Oh, nonsense, Cedric," Winifred insisted. "There is nothing wrong with wanting to make a friend happy. And she really is the nicest friend you've ever had. Granted, I realize you were at one point attempting to go after her amulet…"

He shrugged and sighed. "All attempts failed, b-but I'm actually starting to see improvements. Things with Father are better, I finally inherited the Family Wand, my spells aren't failing as much, and thanks to Princess Sofia people around me generally appreciate me more as a sorcerer."

She smiled. "Sounds like you may not need her amulet after all, son." She patted his hand gently. "All right, dear, let's see what we can do about finishing this. When is she supposed to be back?"

"I told Baileywick to take her for a few hours, and if Princess Amber has any say in Sofia's party…it may actually _take_ a few hours."

"Right then. Let's get on with it!"

Around three hours had passed, and Cedric and Winifred were finally done with their creation. Sofia was still nowhere to be seen, so they wondered if she would even return that night.

"Well," Winifred began with a slight yawn, "as much as I'd like to see the princess again, I'm afraid it's getting rather late, son. I promised your father some mushroom soup tonight too." She smiled and kissed his cheek. "I'll check up on you in a few days, all right?"

"Thank you, Mother," he said with a smile. "For everything."

She gave him a loving hug and vanished back into the portrait, leaving Cedric holding their completed gift.

"Well, Wormy," he started, looking at his raven, "maybe it's time to turn in for the night. What do you think?"

Wormwood flew down to his friend's shoulder and watched as Cedric placed the gift back into the box and hid it under his table…and just in time too.

"Mr. Cedric!" Sofia called as she knocked before pushing the door open and slipping inside. "I'm so sorry it took so long… Amber pulled out the…" She shuddered. "The Big Book of Decorations."

Cedric smirked and eyed Wormwood, who rolled his eyes. He looked back at Sofia. "I figured your sister had something to do with it. Not to worry—you didn't really miss much. Actually, I'm about to head to sleep, and we can just pick up where we left off tomorrow after your festivities, if you'd like."

"That's what I wanted to talk to you about." She handed him an envelope and smiled. "Dad isn't going to make you work tomorrow. I want you to come to my birthday party."

"Y-You do?" he asked, surprised, while accepting her invitation. He opened it and read over the information before looking back at her. "I suppose I'll have to supply some entertainment, then?"

"No, Mr. Cedric! You're coming as my guest—not as a performer. You need a break—and some cake." She grinned.

He chuckled lightly and nodded. "Thank you, Princess… And, um, actually… Well, I may as well go ahead and give this to you now. You'll have far too many others to open tomorrow, and that way we can just get this one out of the way." He grabbed the box again and handed it to her.

Sofia's eyes widened as she looked at the purple box wrapped in white ribbon. She looked up at her friend. "Are you sure, Mr. Cedric? I could open it at the party tomorrow."

He shook his head with a smile. "I got mine from you early, so I figured I'd continue the tradition." He gestured lightly. "I hope you like it."

Sofia smiled and placed the box on the table before pulling the ribbon loose. She set the box lid aside and inhaled as she saw something familiar. _Purple fabric_. She looked up at Cedric briefly before pulling out what appeared to be a purple cloak made of velvet. It was similar to the cape she'd made him a few months ago, but this was her size and a bit heavier. And the front emblem really caught her eye, and she gasped. "I-Is that…?"

Cedric shrugged. "Well, you did say she was one of your favorites…"

The emblem depicted Sofia and Princess Belle standing together, and around their picture was a saying: _Auguratricis in Disciplina_. Sofia giggled as she traced the letters with her fingers before asking, "What do these words mean, Mr. Cedric?"

"Sorceress in Training," he replied, smiling at her surprised gasp. "Well, figuratively speaking…" He was surprised when the young girl rushed to him and hugged him tightly, smiling ear to ear.

"Thank you, Mr. Cedric! I love it! You're the best!"

As an added birthday gift of sorts, Cedric didn't try to pry her off this time. He allowed her to hug him and even returned the hug a little more willingly than he normally would have. "You're welcome, Princess Sofia."

The girl grinned as she looked up at him excitedly. "I'm going to wear that over my Sorcerer's Apprentice outfit the next time we do some more work together."

He chuckled. "As you wish." Seeing her yawn, he smirked. "I think it's time we _all_ get some rest, hmm?"

She nodded and smiled, hugging him one more time. "Thank you again, Mr. Cedric. I wish more people were like you—actually paying attention to details and caring about what means the most." She grinned when he looked a little surprised and stepped back. "I'll see you tomorrow night. Wormwood, I'd be happy to see you at the party too. Good night!" She slipped out the door again, happily making her way back to her room.

Cedric smiled lightly, shaking his head, before glancing at Wormwood. "It makes you think, doesn't it Wormy?" He sighed. "That girl never ceases to amaze me."

Wormwood hummed and tilted his head. "Indeed."

"Well, we best be off to bed then. Tomorrow should be interesting." He lifted the raven back to his perch as he yawned. "Night, Wormwood."

Wormwood waited for his owner to head to bed before he flew down to the table and looked at Cedric's invitation.

_To: Mr. Cedric & Wormwood_

_From: Sofia_

_I would be honored to have you both attend my birthday party tomorrow night. It will be filled with people I've never met in my life, so having some familiar faces and good friends there would be amazing. Wormwood, I'll even save you a piece of cake. I hope to see you both there!_

_~Sofia~_

"Huh," the raven stated simply, smiling lightly. It was nice to be recognized, despite their differences in the past. Well, maybe they'd get back to the amulet chase eventually, but as for tomorrow… "I sure hope Princess Amber didn't pick out that cake—strawberry cake, the very idea!" He yawned and finally headed back to his perch for some much needed sleep.

The end


End file.
